According to recent survey data from YouTube Insights, 43 percent of Gen Z audiences are in a fandom that nobody in their personal life has ever even heard of.
Crazy. Right?
A Gen Z person is likely to love something — music, TV show, book, podcast — that none of their friends even know exists.
The monoculture is dead.
I suspect this might also be true — at least to a degree — for most people today. When most of the content we consume is on a streaming platform designed to offer us what we like most, the likelihood of being exposed to something outside our typical areas of interest declines considerably.
Thus, we find ourselves watching movies and television, listening to music and podcasts, and reading books that none of our friends have ever heard of before as our consumption patterns become increasingly bespoke.
Unless your friend convinces you that their recommendation is worth your time, you’re likely to remain inside your content bubble.
I become increasingly aware of this during football season when I see commercials for television shows that millions of people appear to be watching that I have never heard of before:
A show about a kid named Sheldon.
Some guy named Tracker.
A show about ghosts?
Lots of shows with acronyms for titles.
Chicago everything.
I’ve never watched any of these shows, and I couldn’t tell you what they are about, but it looks like a lot of people are watching these shows.
Two decades ago, I would’ve likely been watching them, too.
I just learned that Survivor and Big Brother — two shows I once watched 20 years ago — are still on television. I watched the first season of each, but apparently, they continued without me.
Who knew?
In fairness, I watch little TV these days beyond sports, but not because I don’t enjoy or oppose it in any way. Elysha and I just finished watching Station Eleven and loved it.
Because of our schedules, it took us two months to complete, but it was well worth my time.
We also just started re-watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer with the kids and are currently in season 9 of The Simpsons.
We love a good television show, but at the rate we currently watch TV, I hope to finish both series before the kids leave for college.
I simply don’t have the time.
A good problem, of course, but also one that leaves me watching commercials during NFL games that leave me wondering:
Who the hell is Sheldon?
Is this the same Equalizer that was on TV when I was a kid?
The Masked Singer can’t be real. Can it?
Two decades ago, I could’ve answered all these questions.
I’m honestly not sure if this is a good or bad thing.
